Jody Claman, one of the stars of the Real Housewives of Vancouver, told the hearing in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver that she was $148,000 in debt and has expenses of $50,000 a month.Ric Ernst
/ PNG

Jody Claman (left), one of the stars of the Real Housewives of Vancouver, told the hearing in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver that she was $148,000 in debt and has expenses of $50,000 a month.Internet Photo
/ missundercity.com

Jody Claman, one of the stars of the Real Housewives of Vancouver, told the hearing in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver that she was $148,000 in debt and has expenses of $50,000 a month.Ric Ernst
/ PNG

Real Housewives of Vancouver personality Jody Claman and her daughter, Mia Deakin, have filed a defamation lawsuit against Real Housewives personality Mary Zilba in the wake of this past weekend’s shooting incident involving Deakin. In this photo, an unidentified woman applies lipstick to a hospitalized Deakin.Jody Claman
/ @JodyClaman

A Vancouver reality TV personality was grilled on the stand during her divorce trial for most of the day Thursday by her former husband’s lawyer, who questioned what the woman claimed she was earning and spending.

Jody Claman, one of the stars of the Real Housewives of Vancouver, told the hearing in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver that she was $148,000 in debt and has expenses of $50,000 a month.

Her ex-husband, Eran Friedlander, the president of a mining company, filed for divorce last year from the reality-show star.

Claman told court Wednesday under questioning from her lawyer that she needed $50,000 a month to cover mortgages on three properties, one in Whistler, and her living expenses. She said she couldn’t borrow any more against her properties and that she will have to “sell something” to meet her payments.

She also said she needed at least $100,000 to get her catering company, Jody’s Fine Foods, which started in 1992 and closed in 2005, operating again. Claman also told court she’s made no money this year.

Among her monthly expenses was $400 for transportation, which included public transit.

“Do you take the bus?” her lawyer asked.

“Yes, yes I do,” she replied quickly.

She also said she spent $1,200 a month on charitable donations, including those she made to a favourite animal shelter.

“I have to support her (the shelter owner),” she said. “I’d rather not eat.”

She also said she spent $300 on clothing, less than what she used to spend on clothes.

“When I did the Housewives of Vancouver, people would want me to wear their clothes, but I like my own style,” she said.

Also in answer to a question about a psychological assessment, she said she disputed findings of aggression and was “fascinated by the (finding of) narcissism.”

“I don’t even work out,” she said. “I’m really a hippie deep down inside because that’s the way I was raised.”

She said a psychological report found she was “off the charts with my aggression.”

“My husband walked out on me, he left me with no money,” she said.

“Of course I’d be aggressive” to try to protect the well-being of her children, she said. “I’m extremely passionate about my children and their safety.”

Friedlander’s lawyer questioned Claman about her income from her daughter’s store, Glass House Couture in West Vancouver, which last year was vandalized by animal-rights activists.

The lawyer claimed the store had been profitable, making $50,000 to $60,000, but Claman said none of the employees took a salary and that wasn’t profit.

“Your main source of income came from operating the store?” she was asked.

“And from the Real Housewives,” she said.

But she said she earned no income from the show last year, when it was cancelled.

Claman also said the store hasn’t been regularly open since it was vandalized and it’s making no money.

Deakin, 28, and a 27-year-old male companion were outside their vehicle at a gas station on East Hastings Street when they were fired upon by an unknown gunman in an SUV.

Deakin needed surgery after she was shot in the shoulder. The male, shot in the hand, was treated and released but later arrested on an outstanding warrant.

Claman and Deakin have filed the statement of claim, but nothing has been proved in court.

The Real Housewives is a reality TV series that follows affluent women in different North American cities and the Vancouver franchise was the first in Canada. It ran for two seasons, but Shaw Media announced a year ago that the series wouldn’t be back for Season 3.

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